Realising the potential of many local products particularly in relation to the penetration of both local and international markets, the Division of Finance and Enterprise Development of the Tobago House of Assembly established the Tobago Cassava Products Company Limited (TCPL). This was primarily to support the mission of fostering growth and development in the business sector on the island.

The company is a wholly owned enterprise of the Assembly managed by a Board of Directors, capitalising on the popularity of the root vegetable, cassava in food preparation. The company actively promotes the benefits of cassava and its by-products as well as its various health attributes. Persons now have the opportunity to consume cassava based products that are gluten free, rich in fibre and minerals.

The company’s mandate is to revitalize the island’s cassava industry by producing a wide array of products from the M MEX variety of the root vegetable through establishment of a suitable cassava processing facility. To date, the TCPL has made major advancements fully establishing the company and marketing products regionally and internationally. The company has formed alliances with stakeholders in the production sector, to host cassava fairs and outreach programmes in agricultural districts aimed at informing the public about the company, encouraging the farming community to get involved as well as supplying and processing cassava based products.

One of the company’s major achievements to date has been the opening of the Tobago Cassava Shop nestled in the heart of Scarborough at booth #3 of the Milford Road Esplanade. The shop retails all the products manufactured by the company including farine, cassava ice-cream, cassava khurma, cassava punches, frozen cassava, cassava flour and cakes. The company has also arranged capacity building workshops to equip those in the food and beverage industry with the skills needed to prepare and create products using the cassava meal.

Apart from management of the Cassava Shop at the Milford Road Esplanade in Scarborough, the company’s core business includes:

The provision of a reliable supply of semi-processed raw materials derived from local and regional sources.

Provision of a market for tertiary products produced by local manufacturers.

TCPL promotes the use of cassava and its by products through active outreach and educational projects. It builds capacity in the sector through training and conducts stakeholder engagement and high level exploration to inform the policy and approach for stimulating growth in the root crop agro processing sector.